Define "No. of Hours" in terms of Longevity

Hi,

I have some queries regarding how we define "number of hours" we get in terms of longevity of a frag.

Example, the longevity of JPG Le Male is said to last anywhere from 10 to 24hrs (in Tim's video). Other reviewers say it last for at least 10 hours. But on me, Le Male loses it projection by the 6th hour. I need to stick my nose on the spot that I sprayed in order to smell it.

Similarly for Issey Miyake L'eau D'issey pour homme, reviews says that it last for 8-10 hours. But on me, by the 3-4th hour, it's left with minimal projection.

With that said, may I know how reviewers commonly define how many hours they get from the various frags? When they say "I get xx hours on this", do they mean by the xx hour, they still get significant projection/sillage? or do they mean that projection should have been gone midway through the xx hours and by the xx hour, they would not be able to smell any trace of scent (even if they stick their nose on the spray spot)?

Not sure if there's a definitive answer for this, but any idea would help.

Re: Define "No. of Hours" in terms of Longevity

Hi Chyan, welcome to basenotes!

l can't speak for others, but l count it from the time of application to the time when l can no longer detect any trace of scent on my skin. Of course, the projection has usually lessened considerably long before that, & the time that takes varies a lot between different fragrances, & on different people's skin. On me, it's unusual to get longevity of more than 5-6 hours on any fragrance, & a lot of them settle close to the skin within a couple of hours. That's why l love so-called "sillage monsters" like Alien & Fracas!

​​"What is this secret connection between the soul, and sea, clouds and perfumes? The soul itself appears to be sea, cloud and perfume..." - from Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis.

Re: Define "No. of Hours" in terms of Longevity

Welcome to basenotes Chyan,
i think you will find slightly different answers for this question.
For myself- I differentiate between longevity and sillage (projection).
For longevity I count the number of hours I can smell the scent from application time to the time I can no longer smell it on my skin from 3-4 inches.
For sillage- I actually don't want a scent with too much projection because I don't want it to be perceived across the room. Some people like people to smell them across the room and spray many sprays.
A Basenoter taught me the following trick to determine projection. I use it to determine the scents which are too strong to wear to work.:
Hold your breath and quickly spray 1 full spray on your wrist - then immediately go to another room (so there is no afterspray) . If you are standing with your arm down by your side and you can smell the scent- projection is strong. If you have to bend your arm like in a sling to smell it, projection is moderate. If you have to bring wrist up to within 6 inches of your face, it's a skin scent.

Factor that strength into your decision of how many sprays per wearing.

You can also spray a handkerchief or cloth- leave the room and come back. if you can smell it immediately upon re-entering, it's strong, etc etc you get the idea.

Re: Define "No. of Hours" in terms of Longevity

So far, from my own experience: Knize Ten, Chanel Antaeus, Versace l'Homme- up to 12 hours
Gueralin Vetiver, Rive Gauche pour Homme by YSL- up to 8 hours (albeit the latter hours very close to the skin)

Re: Define "No. of Hours" in terms of Longevity

There are so many variables.

1- does longevity mean how long it stays on your clothes or skin or how long it lasts and projects?
If a perfume lasts for 7 days and 7 nights on my skin but it doesn't project enough for me to smell it then to me, longevty is zero. I measure longevity by how long it projects enough for me to be able to smell it without raising my wrist or sleeve to my nose.

2- how many sprays determines longevity?

Most BNers know I spray at least 10 sprays and up to 25.
The reason is simple. I want to be able to constantly smell my SOTD. Whats the purpose of using perfume if i only get wifts and wafts of it when I make a bodily movement (this phrase sounds so weird LOL) like getting up or moving my arms or something.

3- even if person X states he or she sprayed Y amount of perfume and longevity is excellent, say a day, this doesn't mean longevity for you will be a day because of the following factors:
a- was he or she mobile during the day or idle at home or office?
Maybe you spray the same amount but commute to work in public transportation. So being exposed to the elements will decrease your longevity. Maybe you use a motorbike.

I was discussing this with Alfarom the other day.

Also, personally I need projection more than longevity. I used to avoid buying "skin" scents because I'd clearly be able to smell them on my wrist or sleeve but it woundt project. That's when scent (miss u!!) and I deduced that such perfumes need to be jump started. That's when i spray up to 25 to be able to get the necessary projection (looking at you L'Artisan Parfumeur).

When I say I get X hours it means i can smell it projected not on my wrist.

Re: Define "No. of Hours" in terms of Longevity

Originally Posted by knit at nite

Welcome to basenotes Chyan,
i think you will find slightly different answers for this question.
For myself- I differentiate between longevity and sillage (projection).
For longevity I count the number of hours I can smell the scent from application time to the time I can no longer smell it on my skin from 3-4 inches.
For sillage- I actually don't want a scent with too much projection because I don't want it to be perceived across the room. Some people like people to smell them across the room and spray many sprays.
A Basenoter taught me the following trick to determine projection. I use it to determine the scents which are too strong to wear to work.:
Hold your breath and quickly spray 1 full spray on your wrist - then immediately go to another room (so there is no afterspray) . If you are standing with your arm down by your side and you can smell the scent- projection is strong. If you have to bend your arm like in a sling to smell it, projection is moderate. If you have to bring wrist up to within 6 inches of your face, it's a skin scent.

Factor that strength into your decision of how many sprays per wearing.

You can also spray a handkerchief or cloth- leave the room and come back. if you can smell it immediately upon re-entering, it's strong, etc etc you get the idea.

Re: Define "No. of Hours" in terms of Longevity

Thanks, all for the various good advices. I've always thought that all the reviewers smell much better than me for much longer with the same frag. It was such a depressing thought thinking that either my skin is extremely dry or the frags I have are fakes (bought all my frags from retail stores nonetheless). I feel better now that everyone's saying that there's no standard method of measurement for longevity. Time to get myself a new bottle to celebrate this joy!

Re: Define "No. of Hours" in terms of Longevity

It's ok to love a fragrance so much that you want to smell it all the time. I just feel it's socially inconsiderate to force other people to smell it all the time, particularly if they're not within your personal space. I usually carry a small atomiser/decant of my SotD with me so I no longer have hang-ups over a fragrance 'longevity'. 10 times out of 10, I'd pick a scent based on olfactory quality rather than its tenacity. But I appreciate the reservations others may have about buying good smelling fragrances that don't stick around.

Re: Define "No. of Hours" in terms of Longevity

Originally Posted by Chyan

I've always thought that all the reviewers smell much better than me for much longer with the same frag. It was such a depressing thought thinking that either my skin is extremely dry or the frags I have are fakes (bought all my frags from retail stores nonetheless).

HA! I used to think the same exact thing!

I think a lot of people make that mistake and start panicking. I've seen several posts with folks going on about applying special lotions, wearing vaseline on the spots where they apply their perfume, not washing certain areas of their skin....it's crazy.

Re: Define "No. of Hours" in terms of Longevity

I've noticed two phenomena on my skin versus others: I experience both quieter sillage but greater longevity than others. Even infamous ''sillage monsters'' like Poison or Kouros really aren't that big on me after a couple hours of wear. My only guess is perhaps I have cooler skin so things burn off more slowly, perfumes radiating less and lasting longer.

Bad longevity on me is three hours on less, poor or weak longevity three to six, good six to twelve, enormous longevity longer than twelve hours.